Scanner observations of the Be starsν Gem,κ Ori,β Mon andω CMa

The photoelectric spectrophotometric scans of the Be stars Gem, Ori, Mon and CMa have been analyzed to find out few stellar parameters. The absolute energy distributions of these stars in the wavelength range 350–750 nm have been given. Their effective temperatures and gravities have been estimated from comparisons with non-LTE model atmospheres. The stars Gem and Mon have been found to have Balmer discontinuities in emission. The excess emission in the region 620–750 nm has been observed for Mon and CMa. The evolutionary aspects of these stars are discussed and their masses have been estimated.     

Distribution of polarization and intensity of radiation across the stellar disk and numberical values of atmospheric characteristics governing this distribution

Computations of polarization and intensity of radiation from a unit stellar surface area are presented, as well as a study of the numerical characteristics of atmospheres — single-scattering albedo and the initial source function(), which define the polarization behaviour of atmospheres. The radiatively stable models of stellar atmospheres presented by Kuruczet al. (1974) and Kurucz (1979) have been used for calculations. Since the versus optical depth dependence is rather weak, it has been assumed that (=cost. With a fixed effective temperatureT _eff maximum values of are characteristic of stars featuring the lowest surface gravity accelerationg. Among stars with radiatively stable atmospheres, maximum values of (=5000 Å) 0.4–0.6 are exhibited by supergiants withT _eff=8000–20 000 K. The plot of () is characterized by discontinuities at the boundaries of spectral series for hydrogen and, sometimes, for helium. Maximum are attained in the Lyman region of =912–1200 Å, where can reach the value 0.7–0.9 for supergiants, this value being 0.3 for Main-Sequence stars. For stars withT _eff 35 000 K, high values of also are attained for <912 Å. Within the infrared region, is always small because of bremsstrahlung absorption.A rapid growth of the source functionB with < typical for ultraviolet range (within the Wien part of spectrum), together with high values of results in the strong polarization of emission from a unit stellar surface element, sometimes exceeding the values for the case of a pure electron scattering. For longer wavelengths, where the limb-darkening coefficient is smaller, the plane of polarization abruptly turns 90° in the central parts of the visible stellar disk.     

Scanner observations of comet P/Crommelin 18181

Spectral scans of the coma of comet P/Crommelin 1818. I have been obtained in the wavelength range 3200–6500 Å. Strong emission features of CN(3883 Å) and C₂ Swan bands (4695, 5165, and 5538 Å) have been identified. Some weak emission features of CH(3890 Å), C₃(4050 Å), CN(4200 »), and C₂ + CH(4358 ») were also detected. Sodium was found to be absent in this comet. An estimate of CN and C₂ abundances has been made and their production rate have been derived.     

Fine structure in the inner corona observed at the 1970 eclipse

On the slit spectrogram obtained at the 1970 eclipse in Mexico, the intensities of four coronal lines (Nixiii 5116, Fexiv 5303, Fex 6374, and Nixv 6702) and the continuum were measured as a function of distance along the slit. It is found that there exist a lot of fine fluctuations both in the lines and in the continuum intensities superposed on a large scale formation. The correspondence of such fluctuations between the continuum and the lines is good, with the exception of the line 6374 which shows a peculiar fluctuation. It is shown that the intensities of the three lines 5116, 5303, and 6702 seem to be proportional to the square of the continuum intensity while the 6374 line intensity may be proportional to the fourth power or more.     

A new type of a photoelectric magnetograph

The electro-optic deflector as an analyzer of circular polarization in the photoelectric magnetograph is described. The electro-optic deflector consists of an electro-optic crystal and a polarizing beamsplitter. The plane bifurcation of this beamsplitter coincides with the spectrograph dispersion direction. The beamsplitter bifurcates a spectral line in two components. The distance between them is ₀. The photometer slit is situated between these components. Both components of Zeeman splitting fall on the photometer slit but the distance between them varies from ₀ + 2 _H to ₀ – 2 _H (where _H is the Zeeman splitting) with the electric voltage frequency applied to the electro-optic crystal. The intensity variations at the photometer slit are proportional to 4 _H .     

WR stars with the Ovi λλ3811, 3834 emission doublet

The catalog of the classical WR stars which have the emission doublet Ovi 3811, 3834 in their optical spectra (the catalog of the WR-Ovi stars) and the results of the spectroscopic investigations of the WR-Ovi stars HD 16523, HD 17638, and HD 192103 are presented. Rapid spectral variability of the emission doublet Ovi 3811, 3834 in the spectra of WR-Ovi stars HD 16523, HD 17638, and of the emission band 3680-3780 Å in the spectra of the WR-Ovi star HD 16523 is observed. It is shown that spectral sub-types of the stars HD 16523 and HD 17638 as estimated from different criteria are uncertain. We argue that the WR-Ovi stars HD 16523 and HD 17638, the optical spectra of which display emission doublet Ovi 3811, 3834, may be considered as WO5 stars. The sub-type WO5 is proposed for the first time. Classification criteria of the WO5 sub-type are represented. The possible contribution of the ions Heii to the emission at 3811 Å and 3834 Å is investigated. Thez-distributions of WR-Ovi stars and WR stars with the probable relativistic companions are found to be similar.     

F07164+5301: an ESB source with WR features

We report on a new ESB source, as defined by Allenet al. (1991), with Wolf-Rayet (WR) bands in its optical spectrum. The WR bump at 4605-4686 is detected. The bump consists of broad HeII 4686, NV4605-4619, NIII4634-41, and possibly, CIII4647-52 emission. The narrow nebular lines are clearly discernable on our spectrum. The number of WR stars derived from the luminosity of HeII4686 is about 8100. The oxygen abundance is about 9.06×10^–4, greater than the solar value.     

Les raies du triplet de l'helium de la Nova Delphini 1967

The aim of this paper has been to study the neutral helium triplet emission lines identified in the spectrum of the envelope of Nova Delphini. By comparing the observed flux of the neutral helium lines with that calculated theoretically by Robbins, we find that the optical thickness in the center of the line 3889 is of the order of 21.50 for summer 1969. The optical thickness obtained by this method is here denoted _tran(3889).On the other hand, we obtain the number of neutral helium atoms in the 2³S state [N(2³S)] by considering the equilibrium between the mechanisms that populate and depopulate this state. We then find that the depopulation by photoionization due to the radiation of Ly (Hi), transitions to the 2¹S, 2¹p and 2³p states by electron collision, photoionization due to the continuum radiation of the central star, are 82.70%, 13.20%, 2.40%, 0.90% and 0.80% respectively. We find that the mechanism of the photoionization by Ly is the dominant mechanism of depopulation of 2³S state. We calculated ( 3889) of the order of 82.37, fromN(2³S), obtained in the preceding paragraph. The optical thickness obtained by this method is here denoted _bal(3889).The difference between _tran(3889) and _bal(3889) is very large and it cannot be attributed to calculation errors. We have considered all the mechanisms that can depopulate the 2³S state, so we then conclude that the difference between _tran(3889) and _bal(3889) is due to the heterogeneity of the envelope of the Nova, already found by us in our previous study of the profiles of the permitted and forbidden lines. Finally, we find from this study a filling factor of the order of 0.30.     

Amorphous interstellar grains: Wavelength dependence of far-infrared emission efficiency

It is shown theoretically that the emission efficiency of amorphous grains with radii smaller than 100 Å has a _-1-dependence in the wavelength region longer than 100 , whereas those of crystalline, metallic, and larger amorphous grains are proportional to _-2 in far infrared. Astrophysical implications of the amorphous grains are discussed.     

Infrared excess in Wolf-Rayet stars

On the basis of continuum energy distributions in the wavelength region 3200–11 000 Å, effective temperature for 14 Wolf-Rayet stars are estimated by comparing with Kurucz (1979) model atmospheres. The continuum energy distribution curve shows strong infrared excess emissions above of 5000 Å in every star.     

Systemes hamiltoniens au voisinage d'une solution d'equilibre. II:Stabilité des solutions périodiques

Resume On étudie la stabilité des solutions périodiques d'un couplage de systèmes linéaires au voisinage de résonances. Les valeurs propres distinctes _k de la matrice du système linéaire non perturbé sont telles que _k–_j=iq pour tout couple [k, j]; i=–1, q est un nombre entier, la fréquence de la solution. Une application est faite pour un système à trois degrés de liberté au voisinage de la résonance 221.

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Hamiltonian systems in the neighbourhood of an equilibrium solution. II:The stability of periodic solutions

The stability of the periodic solutions for an Hamiltonian system is investigated. Here the distinct eigen values _k of the matrix of the unperturbated linear system are such that _k–_j=iq for any [k, j]; i=–1, q is an integer, is the frequency of the periodic solution. An application is made for a system with three degrees of freedom, near the resonance 221.

     

Optical observations of line profile variability in the WN5 star HD 50896

The WN5 star HD 50896 is a well known variable star but the cause of the variations is uncertain. As part of an extensive observing campaign on HD 50896, 68 spectra were obtained with the AAT and UCL echelle spectrograph over three nights in January 1991. The variations seen in the emission line profiles of He II 4686, He II 4860, N V 4945 and N V 4603, 4620, sampling different regions of the wind, are described. Gross night-to-night changes are seen in the tops of all the emission lines, with the pattern of variability being different for each line, as a consequence of the different line formation regions. The edges of the emission line profiles are seen to shift but not in a systematic way, as expected for binary motion. In terms of hourly variations which monitor the propagation of instabilities in the wind, distinct blobs are seen moving outwards through the emission line profiles of the He II lines but are absent in NV 4945. This appears to indicate that, at least for the epoch of these observations, the instabilities develop farther out in the wind than the N V formation region and may well rule out photospheric-induced wind instabilities.     

On the stability of strongly non-homogeneous self-gravitating equilibria

The stability analysis of several stronglynon-homogeneous, self-gravitating, one-dimensionalunstable equilibrium systems is carried out with the help of numerical techniques. The evolution of the perturbed unstable equilibria is studied by following the motion of the boundary curves of water bag configurations defining the systems.It is found that initial perturbations drive the unstable equilibrium states out of equilibrium at rates depending on the typical scale length of the perturbations : the instability rates increase with .     

High dispersion spectroscopic study of quiescent prominences

The utility of very high dispersion spectra (5–11 mm/Å) for the study of line profile and velocity structure in quiescent prominences is demonstrated by observations, taken with the spectregraphic slit positioned normal to the limb in H 6563 Å, He D₃ 5876 Å, and Ca⁺K 3933 Å. The emission profiles of both H and the K line often show a central reversal (absorption). Emission structures in the K-line can be complex with details as narrow as 0.04 Å. Frequently this structure consists of two distinct components: a central, strong, rather narrow line, and an often displaced, weak feature of undefined profile appearing as fuzz. It is suggested that this fuzz indicates an exchange of matter between the prominence and the corona.Visiting Astronomer, Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, Oslo, Norway.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

The structure of the broad line region in Fairall 9

We find that the profile changes observed for the UV emission lines L,Civ 1549, and MgIII 2798, in the Seyfert 1 galaxy Fairall 9 occur mainly near the line centre for L andCiv and in the wings for MgIII. These results indicate that the broad line region (BLR) has a complex structure, possibly with non-spherical components.Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.     

Coronal He+ λ304 radiation

The intensity of the He⁺ 304 coronal line relative to the H⁰ 1216 line, including the dominant contribution due to resonance scattering, is presented. All physical processes important in the corona are included. It is found that He⁺ 304 is a major contributor to the XUV corona, and that the sensitivity of the He⁺ 304/H⁰ 1216 intensity ratio to coronal temperature is very weak, supporting the belief that this ratio is a good indicator of the coronal helium abundance.     

Observed oddities in the lines H,K, b and Hβ

We compare microphotometer intensity traces perpendicular to dispersion in simultaneous spectrograms of good spatial resolution traced at various 's in each of the lines. Cross correlations between the different traces show the following: (a) For each _K there is a corresponding _{b 1}at which the coefficient of correlation, r, is a maximum, usually > 0.8. (b) No such high correlations are found between H and H. (c) Comparison of traces in the continuum and at all observed 's in K, H, b₁, b₂ show a range of 's in each line over which r is very significantly negative, while H shows no such peculiarity.     

Pitch angle scattering of solar particles: Comparison of ‘particle’ and ‘field’ approach

In the quasi-linear theory of pitch angle scattering the power spectrum of magnetic field fluctuations is related to the shape of the pitch angle diffusion coefficient D(), the absolute value of the mean free path , and the rigidity dependence of the mean free path (R). We discuss these relations in detail during the solar particle event of 11 April, 1978 which was observed on HELIOS-2 at a distance of 0.49 AU from the Sun. Magnetic field measurements obtained during the time of the event are used as a basis for the layer model in which the method of particle trajectories in an actually measured field is used to simulate pitch angle diffusion. The values of D() and based on the trajectory simulation for 100 MeV protons (field approach) are compared with results obtained from solar proton data (particle approach) and with predictions from quasi-linear theory based on the additional assumption of the slab model for magnetic field fluctuations (QLT approach). The time of the event is characterized by a high level of field fluctuations, the observed mean free path of about 0.03 AU for 100 MeV protons is smaller than the average value near 1 AU. Results from the field and particle approaches agree surprisingly well. The remaining difference in the mean free path of about a factor of 2 could be due to tangential discontinuities which are measured by the magnetometer, but not seen by the real particles traveling along the average field. The results from the field and QLT approaches based on the same set of magnetic field measurements differ by about a factor of 4. One of the reasons for this discrepancy is that the conditions for resonance scattering are only marginally valid. In addition, the wave vectors representing Alfvén-type fluctuations may not be totally field aligned. This deviation from the slab model would cause an increase of the theoretically predicted mean free path and lead to better agreement with the other two approaches.     

Determination of Optical Spectra by a Modified Kramers Kronig Integral

A new modified Kramers Kronig Integral is derived and shown to produce excellent results when k data is only known over a limited range. By considering the effect of resonance features simulated using the Dirac-Delta function, the new integral is shown to be more rapidly converging than both the conventional Kramers Kronig integral and a modified (Subtractive Kramers Kronig – SKK) integral introduced by Ahrenkiel (1971). The new integral does not require extensive extrapolation of reflectance data outside the measured region in order to produce reliable results. By extending the above procedure to include n data points, it is shown that at wavelength ₀, \[ n(_0)=\sum_{i=1}^{\rm n}(-1)^{\rm n+1}\prod_{\stackrel{j=1}{j \not=i}}^{\rm n} \frac{(_j^2-_0^2)}{(_i^2- _j^2)}n(_i)+\frac{2}{\pi}P\int_{0}^{\infty}(-1)^{\rm n+1} \frac{\prod_{i=1}^{\rm n}(_i^2-_0^2)}{\prod_{i=0}^{\rm n}(^2-_i^2)} k()d \] with relative error given by, \[ R_n(_0)=\prod_{i=1}^{\rm n}\frac{_i^2- _0^2}{_^2-_i^2} . \] This n^th order expression should prove useful in establishing the internal self-consistency of data sets for which both optical coefficients have been theoretically derived.     

Spectrophotometric observations of comet Hartley-Good (1985l)

Spectrophotometric observations of Cornet Hartley-Good (19851) during five nights in 1985 are presented in the wavelength range 3200–7000 ». The emission bands due to CN, CH, C₂, and C₃ molecules are observed. The abundances (N) and production rates (Q) of the molecules are derived.